Chapter 195

Grace

I snarled low in my throat. His presence, even disembodied, felt like a predator stalking its prey. It felt like I was back in that dream, surrounded by destruction and alone. The darkness felt deeper than it should have. My stomach turned. I felt my bravado faltering as memories from the dream washed over me. But I felt Cecil’s fear spike again and snarled. They were doing something to my daughter. I’d kill them all. I wasn’t going to back down. I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me. Not here, not now. Not with Cecil hanging in the balance. With a ragged breath, I pushed myself upright, snarling.

“Your current state makes it quite hard to speak, though it’s pretty amusing. I suppose it would be asking for too much for a half-breed to know how to turn back.” He laughed, loud and mocking. “Which one of these Enforcers are holding the money? Perhaps you’re sending that brother of yours to the meeting spot with the cash?”

He laughed again. “Though perhaps he’s a bit more preoccupied with his disgusting choices to help you? How can you stand being related to a creature like that?”

Darkness pressed in from all sides, suffocating and thick. Even the moonlight seemed to have vanished. Alpha Shadow's voice, smooth and insidious, slithered through the air. Something was off. Something was poking at the back of my head.

“And who is the suited helper?” He rumbled. “Moved on from your ex so quickly, hm? Something tells me he’s not a self-respecting werewolf.”

“Did you really think that you could come here and save your daughter without paying me? Paying what you owe?”

I bristled, every instinct snarling defiance. But Charles placed the hand on my head.

"Grace," he murmured. "Stay calm. For now, you just need to focus on Cecil.”

His words, laced with unwavering love and quiet strength, were a balm to my raging emotions. But there was something in his tone that told me that something else was about to happen. He drew closer. The enforcers drew closer. Then I felt something shift in the air. It was as if Alpha Shadow had completely vanished.

The silence that followed was shattered with a chilling sound – the pounding of feet against concrete. Shadows morphed into figures, faceless silhouettes swarming out of the darkness, weapons glinting in the faint moonlight that came back in a flash. I snarled and launched myself into the fray. Gunshots were fired. I heard men crying out in agony. We fought and fought, but it felt like more and more people were coming. Despite our combined efforts, the tide of the battle had turned against us. Alpha Shadow's forces multiplied and pushed us back.

“They aren’t real,” Charles said. “They’re gollums of some sort.”

“I agree,” a woman’s voice came from behind me. “Hence the shadow work. It’s easier to hide them this way.”

“Any thoughts on origin?”

“It could be active, but it could just be a returning spell. The space isn’t enchanted. An item? Enchanted clay?”

“The core?”

“Not here.”

“Fuck.” A man hissed. “What about the men from before?”

“They’re gone,” Charles said. “Long gone. Probably a separate group from this altogether.”

What did that mean? The person who kidnapped Cecil wasn’t Alpha Shadow? Were they just working together? My stomach churned. What would that mean for getting her back? Did that mean I wouldn’t be able to get her back? How long before I would get her back if I didn’t get her now?The warehouse trembled, a groan ripping through the chaos like a harbinger of doom. The echoes of the fight, once a cacophony of snarls and gunfire, now mingled with the ominous creak of crumbling concrete and the shrill whine of twisting metal.

“Shit!”

"Retreat!" Charles’ voice boomed, echoing through the room. "Now!"

But I couldn’t. Cecil was still here, somewhere in this complex. Leaving her behind, abandoning her to the mercy of Alpha Shadow, was unthinkable.

I roared.

We can’t leave her!

But Charles grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and dragged me towards a broken window. I roared and thrashed, clawing at him.

We can’t leave her!

But the building itself seemed to agree with him. Shards of concrete rained down. The air became thick with the acrid bite of dust. Panic gnawed at the edges of my rage. The building wouldn't hold much longer. Leaving was the only option, but my pup, my Cecil—I could hear her. I swear I could. She was somewhere in the building. Just as I wrenched myself free from Charles' grip, a deafening crack split the air. A massive beam, groaning under the weight of collapsing concrete, snapped like a twig. It plummeted towards us.

Charles threw himself in front of me and threw up his hands, stopping the beam in midair.

“Get her out!” Charles roared. “Now!”

Someone else grabbed me. I fought and pushed. Moments later, he followed as the beam came crashing down. The impact sent a shockwave through the building that pushed me back toward where the Enforcers were dragging me.

The beams kept collapsing behind us. My will to fight faded as I watched the building coming down. Whoever had hauled me up was making quick strides to get us out. Grief welled up in me.

Cecil was still here.

She was still in this building, getting further and further away with each step. I couldn’t breathe. I howled. I whined until the fresh air of the rainy night broke over me, cold and wet.

The building groaned a final, earth-shattering tremor, then collapsed inwards, swallowing the darkness inside. The Enforcer put me down, and I sat there, staring at the heap of metal and glass, listening to it carry further back. Cecil’s fear pulsed high and bright through the bond, burning me from the inside out.

Dust choked my lungs, the screams of collapsing beams ringing in my ears. How much longer before the building collapsed on her? How long would it take to dig her out?

“Get back!” Charles yelled as I smelled something burning. My heart lurched. Something shoved me back, tumbling me away from the building as the fire roared to life, engulfing the whole building.

I howled, standing to charge inside. Charles caught me, restraining me.

“Stop, Grace. Stop.”

I pushed and shoved, but he was unmovable. His grip locked tight. I couldn’t leave her in there. I couldn’t. I couldn’t. My pup—My—

He grabbed my face and wrenched me back. His eyes, blazing with a fierce determination, held my gaze.

"She's not in there, Grace," he rasped, voice thick with pain and grit. "Focus on your bond, Grace. Focus on your instincts."

What did he mean she wasn’t there? I felt her. I could—

Something tugged. The fear changed. It tugged again. The fear, the panic, started to drain out of me, the darkness receded, and the sound of the rain faded. What was that?

It was… movement. Cecil was moving away. I stood up and turned, looking left and right, scanning for some sign of movement.

“Focus,” Charles said softly.

I closed my eyes, shutting out the chaos, the roar of the flames, the taste of dust. I delved deep, pulling at the thread, searching for the faintest shimmer of her presence. There!

A flicker, a whisper, moving away, growing fainter. She was moving. The fear was still there, but she still wasn’t hurt.

"She's moving," I gasped, my voice a rasp against the roar of the fire. "Away from here."

Charles, his face a mask of exhaustion and pain, nodded, his grip loosening. "Follow your instincts, Grace. We'll find her."

His words were a lifeline as my emotions seemed to rock, ebb, and flow through my mind. I shuddered, focusing on the tether between us and following it past the burning building. If I remembered properly, I was heading towards another road. She was moving quickly, but not faster than running. The flames cast grotesque shadows on the concrete. The air was thick with the stench of burning metal and wood. But I focused on the feeling, the faint tug that pulled me on, leading me away from the growing inferno towards the back side of the complex.

I picked up speed, hearing the Enforcers behind me.

Distantly, I heard the squeal of tires and the roar of an engine tearing through the night.

No!

I rushed forward, chasing the sound. Then, a sharp pain hit me in my chest. My feet stumbled, my vision blurring. The exhaustion from the fight, the searing pain in my shoulder, and the rushing drain of the shift all crashed down on me like a wave.

And then, the world spun; the firelight bled into the darkness, and the sound of the SUV shooting off into the dark filled the night.

“Mommy!” I heard Cecil’s voice, but I couldn’t hold on. I couldn’t stay awake or chase after the car into the darkness, dragging me under.